Love Your Enemy
by theultimatenerd
Summary: Lizzie Bennet Diaries universe - Lizzie is invited to a party at Darcy's house at the end of her shadowing at Pemberley Digital and finds it hard to deal with her feelings towards Darcy.
1. Chapter 1

"_Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy." Frank Sinatra_

"_What…things does drink especially provoke? ...it provokes and unprovokes; it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance." William Shakespeare Macbeth, II, iii_

* * *

Really, Lizzie Bennet usually hated alcohol with a passion. With one alcoholic little sister who was almost always drunk, barfing, or hungover all weekend _every_weekend, alcohol had become the least appealing thing on Earth.

…But really, did anyone really expect her to go to a party at Darcy's and stay sober?

* * *

She knew that drinking at the party was probably a terrible idea. She did. But Lizzie Bennet was nothing if not responsible. She was getting Jane to drive her, seeing as Darcy had specifically asked her to come for some bizarre reason, just in case she actually thought she needed to drink. Ideally, of course, she could avoid Darcy entirely for most of the party and stay with the pleasant people she could actually understand, and everything would go swimmingly. But this, after all, was her life, so everything would certainly fall apart, and Lydia would find out about the party even though Lizzie had done her best to make sure she didn't, and she pull off some miracle and get herself to San Francisco, and then Lydia would humiliate everyone, and Jane would have to take care of two drunk Bennet sisters…Of course, that was all purely in her head. She didn't even know if she would drink at all. Her final blood alcohol level for the night would depend entirely on whether or not Darcy drove her entirely insane.

So, her drinking was inevitable, really.

"You know, I really wasn't expecting to be your chauffer when I came to San Francisco to visit for the weekend," Jane commented while they were driving. "Much less to put up with a drunk Lizzie Bennet."

"I'm sorry. You know, Darcy really wanted you to come for some reason. Maybe it won't be a total loss of a night for you."

"Yeah, I hope so. Although, I have no idea why he needs me to be here so badly. Anyway, Lizzie, if you do drink, Lizzie, can you please avoid being totally embarrassing?" Jane said. "I've been looking after Lydia for years, too, you know."

"I'm not gonna get _that_drunk, Jane. It's just not really tempting to deal with Darcy when I'm totally sober if I don't have to."

"Didn't he get any better when you worked at Pemberley?"

Lizzie paused. The truth was he had gotten considerably more pleasant to be around. Being around Darcy wasn't the worst thing she could imagine anymore. And he'd been doing so many helpful things for her… But just thinking that phrase to herself with the words "Darcy" and "pleasant" and "helpful" all thrown together made her feel a little uncomfortable. Hence, the necessity of alcohol for her to keep a grasp on sanity.

"Yeah, he did get better. I just…he's still Darcy."

Jane nodded in understanding. "Well, I still think it's a bad idea, but if you really think you need to, that's up to you. Now, I think we're here…"

And they were. They were at Darcy's enormous mansion, and Jane was parking the car, and they were walking inside, and someone was bumping into her immediately, and suddenly she was face to face with William Darcy. And naturally, he just had to be dressed just as ridiculous as ever, with the red bow tie and the newsie cap, didn't he?

"Lizzie, I was just coming to see if you'd gotten here," he said, assuming his usual strict posture immediately. "How are you?"

"Good. You?"

"I am well, thank you. Jane?"

"I'm great. It's so nice to see you, Darcy."

Lizzie rolled her eyes at Jane's typical greeting before she caught Darcy's eye; he was smirking at her frustrated expression and looking at her fondly until he realized she was looking at him. He regained his deadpan expression and asked, "How are things at home, Lizzie? Are Lydia and Wi…Wickham doing well?"

"As good as they can be, I guess. Thank you for the…"

He waved off the end of her sentence and quickly replied, "It's fine. How are your parents? Are they well?"

"Yeah, Mom's freaking out as much as she usually does, so it's no big deal. Is everything still going well at Pemberley?"

"Yes, of course. Many of your coworkers have told me they miss you."

"Well, I miss working there, too."

"You should apply after your graduation. I would be glad to recommend you if you did."

"I'll think about it. Thanks, Darcy."

An uncomfortable silence followed for a moment or two until Darcy finally blurted out, "I realize this may seem abrupt, but could I please borrow Jane for a moment? There is something I need to attend to with her, if she wouldn't mind."

Lizzie couldn't help noticing how Jane's expression fell in the slightest at the simple idea of being alone with Darcy, but her sister nodded nonetheless.

"Perfect, thank you, Jane." He turned back to Lizzie and fixed her with an intense stare. "This should only take a moment. I will be back soon."

Lizzie nodded and watched them leave. Darcy seemed to be oddly talkative as they went; Lizzie didn't spot him even pause for breath as he rambled on about something passionately to Jane. Lizzie went to lean against the nearest wall as soon as Darcy and Jane were out of sight. The butterflies that had suddenly taken up residence in her stomach were fluttering like crazy. Lizzie rested a hand over them and took a deep breath. There was no reason whatsoever for her to be reacting to five minutes in Darcy's presence. She'd been running across him off and on for months at work, and she'd been assuming that all those sudden drops in the pit of her stomach had been due to the awkward nature of their relationship. But what had just happened almost felt like something…positive. Like she actually had feelings toward him. Her heart had raced so fast, and she had felt so much warmer and more comfortable when she saw him in that stupid hat and bow tie.

She shook her head to clear out the bizarre thoughts. Darcy was _not_ attractive. She was _not_ in love with him in any way, shape, or form. He did _not_ make her get butterflies. The newsie thing was _not_the cutest thing she had ever seen. And she did not want to slam him up against a wall and kiss him as soon as she saw him again.

Lizzie's brain shut down. That had escalated far too quickly.

She needed alcohol, and she needed it now.

She looked around desperately as she wove around in the crowded halls of the mansion, dodging groups of already-tipsy partygoers and avoiding the few who might recognize her. She sighed with relief when she finally stumbled upon a room where someone was mixing drinks at a small bar. Obviously, Darcy could afford to hire a bartender for a party with this many people.

She felt her stomach turn again at just the thought of his name, and the butterflies kicked in as her brain focused on the way his shirt had been so tight against his chest. _No, Lizzie, get it together. Don't you dare think about Darcy like that, you moron._

"Hey," Lizzie said as she came up to the bartender. "Could you just make something really strong?"

He nodded simply and went to work; Lizzie kept an eye on everything he picked up and thanked him when he put in the stereotypical red Solo cup in front of her. When she took a sip, the heavy taste of alcohol disgusted her, but it did seem to drown the butterflies in the pit of her stomach after a few sips. With another deep, relaxing breath, she thanked him and started wandering again through the house as she drank the concoction. The constant thumping of dance music guided her along. Of all the places Darcy would be, she figured that wherever popular music was blasting would undoubtedly be one of the last.

It took forever to end up in the room that'd been converted into a dance hall, complete with dance floor and crappy lighting and even a corny disco ball for good measure. The music switched to something much more romantic almost as soon as she stepped into the room, so Lizzie hid in the corner and took another gulp from the cup. She felt warmer from the alcohol and approaching the beginning of tipsy already. Whatever that guy had mixed together seemed to be doing the trick. That or she _really_hadn't had a drink in years because of Lydia.

But she knew she wasn't drunk enough to be imagining Bing pulling Jane out onto the dance floor across the room. She watched with her mouth hanging open as he pulled her close and swayed back and forth, grinning the whole time with her laughing along.

"What the…how can…why did…what," she stuttered quietly.

Lizzie stared and stared at the couple in utter confusion as they never disappeared. But how were they actually there being that adorable again. He was supposed to be in LA. And Darcy had told Bing terrible lies about Jane and her intentions. So how was he standing there, dancing with Jane like nothing was wrong?

As she was staring at Bing and Jane, she spotted Darcy standing behind them, off on the opposite side of the room from her. Of course, the unfortunate turn of events was that he spotted her and immediately made a beeline for her.

She had no idea why, but she wanted to hide her cup. For some reason, she didn't want Darcy to know she'd been drinking. But suddenly, before she really had much time to find a hiding spot anywhere, he was right there, eyeing the cup with a quizzical stare. "I didn't think you drank, Lizzie."

"I always have to look after Lydia at parties like this. I normally _can't_drink. Doesn't mean I don't drink on occasion, though."

He nodded in understanding, then looked at Bing and Jane for a moment before rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Um, I've been trying to repair what I've broken. I know I upset you and Jane greatly with what I did, and I regret it deeply. Your sister's feelings for Bing are obviously very genuine, and he feels very much the same. It was a mistake for me to intervene, and I…took care of my mistake. I wanted to make it up to you, Lizzie." He was holding her gaze with a hint of nervousness. "I am sorry for how I behaved at Halloween. I have been trying to fix myself and all my foolish mistakes from the past few months for a while now, and I must admit that I've actually only ever had you in mind, Lizzie, as I repaired everything as best I could. But if you feel the same as you did at Halloween, just tell me, and I'll never mention it again."

Lizzie felt her heart racing and pounding hard in her chest. There was no way she was having this conversation right now when she was still figuring all this out. "Can we pick up this conversation in a bit, Darcy? I have to go."

She turned away, but he quickly fell in step beside her as she walked. "Where do you have to go?"

"Bathroom, Darcy." She sighed in frustration. "Listen, I promise we can talk about this later, but I really have to go."

He looked at her with a conflicted expression before finally stopping and letting her go. "I'll hold you to that, Lizzie!"

And she ran.

* * *

**All right so that's the first chapter done, I'd expect that I'll post the others relatively soon if I can figure out this website.**

**Reviews would be lovely; this is my first time actually publishing a fanfiction online, so hopefully it isn't totally awful.**

* * *

******Okay, so this got removed by , which was super awesome and I loved having that inconvenience in my life. But we're going to try this again with a T rating and if it gets removed again...well, I'll just be really angry. Sorry about that everyone. I'm hoping to have chapter three up soon, but it's taking quite a bit of work. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to be awesome!**


	2. Chapter 2

Darcy checked his watch as he sat down. Two a.m. It was two a.m., and the party was starting to wind down and clear out, and he hadn't seen Lizzie anywhere since the very beginning of the party hours ago. For a good while, he'd run around looking for her in every room he could, but she seemed to be running around and avoiding him. So far, any conversations he had along the way had gone thusly:

"Have you seen Lizzie?"

"Who's Lizzie?"

"The redhead who isn't with Bing."

"There's a redhead here who isn't with Bing?"

And that, of course, was ignoring all the frustrating times people stopped him just for the sake of being introduced to Gigi's brother or "oh so this is your house, eh" or the ever-maddening "where are you going in such a rush Darcy". Granted, that last one came from Caroline, and she knew exactly what he was doing.

So finally, after all his searching, there he was, sitting at his own bar with his head in his hands like a pathetic lovestruck teenager.

"Are you all right, Darcy?" the bartender asked him as he wiped down the bar. "You look awful."

"I'm fine," he replied curtly. "I'd be better if I could just find a friend of mine. I've been looking for her all evening. I don't suppose you've seen her, have you? A few inches shorter than me, dark red hair, very…"

"Oh, you mean Lizzie?"

"…pretty…You've seen her? Which way did she go?"

"Well, she went off towards the main room when she was by here for another drink a few minutes ago. She said something about seeing Fitz, I think. I'd bet on her being there. She wasn't exactly sober, so I don't think she'll have moved from wherever she crashed."

Darcy leapt up to go but paused for a moment as the words hit home. "Not exactly sober?"

The bartender stared at him innocently. "Of course not. She's been here quite a bit, Mr. Darcy."

"She's _drunk_?" Darcy couldn't believe it. In all the times he'd met her at bars with Bing and Caroline, she'd never had a drink, much less been even the slightest bit intoxicated. And now he was supposed to believe that she'd come to his house and gone completely insane? He'd believe it when he saw it. "Well, thank you again for your help."

He nodded to the bartender as he left, then ran as fast as he could to the foyer, swearing under his breath. This could not be happening again. She couldn't possibly be reacting like this. Was the simple thought of being in love with him really this horrifying? Did she really have to drown it out with alcohol? He'd done everything in his power to win her affections, and this was his result?

He stopped when he reached the room, gingerly stepped inside, and immediately looked around until he finally spotted her.

She was sitting on a couch beside Fitz and his boyfriend and talking; both of them looked amused with whatever she was saying. Darcy was relieved to find that she wasn't terribly out of sorts, just redder in the face and much more talkative than usual. And maybe a little more animated than normal, too.

He calmly walked over to the table, hearing the very end of Lizzie's rant. "…so yeah Fitz I have no idea what's going on with me right now all I know is that Darcy in that hat and bowtie did very strange things to my body when I came in this evening and I…ohmygoddarcywhatareyoudoingh ere."

He cocked an eyebrow at her with a smirk, and, much to his surprise, her blush got even deeper and even redder than it was already.

"And I believe that's our cue to leave," Fitz chuckled. His boyfriend laughed along as they got up together. "See you around, Darcy. Keep me updated on the entertaining things Lizzie Bennet says when she's drunk, all right?"

He just nodded at Fitz as he left. Then he stared at Lizzie, who was sheepishly stealing a glance at him every few moments. "May I sit down, Lizzie?"

She nodded quickly; he sat beside her and watched as she played with her empty cup awkwardly.

"So you're…drunk," he blurted. _And you always wonder why everyone says you need to work on your game, Darcy._

"A little bit I guess so sue me Darcy."

"I'm not going to sue you." He looked up and saw her smile at his reference before trying to start a conversation again. "So, Lizzie, this hat and bowtie…"

"Listen Will I've been trying to figure you out for a really long time and everything I've ever felt about you or said about you is totally the opposite now especially since Lydia told me that you were the one helping her and Wickham I didn't know what the hell to think because that's just so incredibly nice and sweet of you and now you're throwing parties just to get Bing and Jane back together and all of your friends are just so nice and Gigi is just the sweetest person on Earth and suddenly you're been so annoyingly _agreeable_all the time now and your awkwardness at work all the time was just so freaking endearing and you were so helpful with getting me settled in and you've been helping my family so much and it's like you're just a better person now than you were when I met you and you're just so infuriatingly attractive in your ridiculous bowties and newsie hats and I just love you so freaking much and I don't know why at all but I can't stop it I keep trying but it won't stop and I just don't know how to feel about anything anymore and I don't know if I've ever been so frustrated in my entire life by one human being," she blurted as she leaned closer and closer with each word.

He paused for a moment as the words sank in. "You…called me Will."

Lizzie rolled her eyes and collapsed with her back against his arm. He paused, unsure of what to do with the contact she'd initiated. She'd never even brushed against him intentionally before, and now, here she was, leaning against him. He settled on waiting to see what she said next before he dared to move a muscle.

"I finally get the guts to tell you I love you and all you notice is that I called you Will you know this is why I was avoiding this in the first place you are such a freak Will I can't believe…"

"Lizzie, please calm down," he soothed as he shifted to lay her carefully across his lap. "You are drunk, you know. I cannot even be sure you know what you're saying right now."

"I'm not _that_drunk Will I'm still going to remember this in the morning oh god maybe I should get more drunk then and you didn't even say you still love me back you know oh my god do you not like me anymore have I crossed a line by saying this I'm messing everything up again crap…" Her eyes bugged out in panic for a moment, staring blankly at the ceiling; Darcy chuckled and tenderly ran his fingers through her hair. She looked back at him with a soft, surprised "oh" that slipped from her, completely unbidden. A smile was tugging at his lips as his other hand gently cupped her cheek.

"I will always be ardently and entirely in love with you, Lizzie," he said very seriously as he stared unflinchingly into her eyes. "There is absolutely no reason for you to be panicking right now. Nothing will ever change how much I care for you."

She pressed her cheek into his hand. "Will don't most people go on dates for a really long time before they break out the 'I love you's or at least kiss first?"

"Lizzie Bennet, I refuse to kiss you for the first time while you are intoxicated."

"I'm really not that drunk Will."

"Even if that is the case, I'm sure there will be a much better and more romantic moment at a later time rather than the current moment, where you are tipsy and we are surrounded by my party guests."

"I think you're just making excuses now I think you don't have a kissing program stored on your hard drive Darcybot."

He paused, completely flustered by her use of the insult. "I…I must beg to differ, I believe that was included in the heart system I downloaded a few weeks ago."

"Then you should probably try that out and make sure it isn't as buggy as your social skills program."

"I'm sorry, Lizzie, I was mainly programmed with the purpose of running Pemberley Digital, all my other programs were terribly neglected and…"

She stopped him with a finger on his lips. "Will could you just stop beating around the bush and kiss me already?"

He gently put her hand back down on her stomach and retorted, "No, Lizzie. I find I quite enjoy frustrating this drunken version of you. Perhaps later when the time is right – and speaking of timing, yours is impeccable as always. Hello."

Lizzie turned her head to look up and who was standing there looking at her lying in Darcy's lap but Jane and Bing. She jerked herself up quickly, blushing yet again as she noted Jane's look of total shock.

"Um," Bing started, "I was just going to ask if Lizzie would be okay with you driving her home instead of Jane. We're gonna go catch up somewhere else tonight, so…"

Darcy nodded. "Of course I can. You undoubtedly need to talk over a multitude of things. Lizzie, is that acceptable?"

"Yeah that's fine," she replied. Suddenly, her fingernails had become utterly and completely fascinating under Jane's scrutinizing stare; that is, they were fascinating, until Darcy took one of her hands and interlocked their fingers to stop her. She looked up at him with a mixture of shock at the gesture and frustration at the loss of her only distraction. It took all his effort not to focus on how well her hand fit with his.

"Thank you again, Darcy," Jane said gratefully, "for inviting me. And for all your help."

Another short nod. "Jane, I found that I greatly misjudged your character when I watched Lizzie's videos. Please accept my sincerest apologies. I can only hope that I've made up for my grave errors."

"It has, Darcy, believe me." And then she turned to Lizzie with a dead serious look. "Now, you. I expect you to keep me updated with everything about tonight, okay? I need to make sure you're safe."

"Jane I swear I'm not that drunk…"

"Promise me, Lizzie."

"I promise I'll keep you updated on everything that happens."

"Good girl."

Darcy listened to their thank-yous and their goodbyes with one eye on Lizzie, who seemed to be suddenly sobering up and crashing extraordinarily quickly. As they left, he asked, "Would you like to lay down again, Lizzie?"

"Oh yes please," she slurred as she lay down with her head resting on one of his legs again. She faced away from him and curled up. Almost immediately, he could tell from the steady rising and falling of her chest that she'd fallen sound asleep.

He carefully pulled out his phone and texted Gigi:

**Could you please start checking the house for any straggling partygoers and have them leave, Gigi? It's far past time for the party to be over, and I am currently trapped on the couch beneath a sleeping, drunk Lizzie Bennet.**

Immediately the reply came:

_okay but on one condition will_

**What's that, Gigi?**

_you have to tell me exactly how you got there as soon as i'm done_

He rolled his eyes.

**Of course I will, Gigi. Once everyone else is gone and I have seen to Lizzie.**

The immediacy of Gigi's efforts shocked Darcy; people started filing out of the house within a few moments of his text, grumbling and complaining the whole time about getting kicked out. He politely waved at them as they muttered their thanks and left. Then came the giant flood of the majority of the partygoers, being herded toward the door by Gigi, who was standing behind them all and bringing in any of the guests that wandered from the group. The whole scene was comical; to watch his tiny little sister directing the huge mass of people out of their house was entirely absurd. She laughed and waved as all of them slowly trickled out the door, then finally slammed it shut with a triumphant "HA".

"Lizzie," he said, gently placing his hand on her shoulder, "wake up. Lizzie, I need you to wake up."

But Lizzie wouldn't stir. She just muttered a soft "Darcy" and shifted around a bit before settling back down. He sighed and slid an arm beneath her back, the other going under her knees. Carefully, he shifted her in his arms and stood up. Naturally, due to his abnormal amount of bad luck when it came to Lizzie Bennet, she awoke then and thrashed around for a moment, wrapping her arms around his neck to cling on for dear life.

Gigi crossed her arms and gave him a mocking look. "You didn't honestly think that would work, did you?"

"I was just trying to be helpful – I'm sorry, Lizzie, I was trying not to wake you."

"WHATTHEHELLAREYOUDOINGDARCY?"

"I decided that I won't bring you back to your home like this. You are drunk and exhausted, and I would rather not drop you off where you're staying in this state. I would like to keep you here, where I can be sure you're safe for the night. I intend to bring you to one of our guest rooms, if that is all right with you," he explained calmly.

Lizzie pouted and fidgeted in his arms again. "Fine but I can walk you know."

"I'd really rather not risk that, Lizzie. So we won't."

"Fine." She thunked her head against his chest as he started walking. "I hope you realize I don't like this at all it sucks a lot I don't need to be carried around like a tired little kid I am a strong independent woman and I don't need this crap put me down Will I don't…"

"Wow, she gets talkative when she's drunk, huh?" Gigi giggled.

"She does indeed. Although, I believe she is recovering more now."

"_She_is right here you jerks."

"Gigi, could you please find something for Lizzie to wear to bed? Will any of your clothes fit her?"

"I doubt it, Will. But I'll find something." She ran off towards their rooms as he kept on towards the guest rooms.

"You know I don't need that I can just sleep like this it's really fine."

He looked appalled. "Lizzie Bennet, I won't let you just be in the same clothes for more than twenty-four hours when we are not short on clothing in any way. Just take whatever Gigi brings. Please."

"Fine."

"Thank you, Lizzie." They went on in silence for a few moments with her looking around at all of the rooms they passed on the way until Darcy finally reached the bedroom and let her down. When he turned on the light, she saw the room with its ornate four-poster bed and other absurdly fancy furniture all around the room. Lizzie immediately clutched onto one of the posts on the bed for balance before looking at Darcy expectantly.

"Everything you need should be in the bathroom. We usually keep it stocked just in case. So there are towels and whatnot…if you want to get a shower, that is. And toothbrushes and toothpaste and…I should really get going and leave you be." He put his hands behind his back and nodded at her respectfully. "I will see you in the morning, Lizzie."

She grabbed his arm to stop him and cringed at the curious look he gave her at the touch. "Just…stay until Gigi comes I'll fall asleep before she gets here if you go."

"Then I'll stay, of course." He took the hand from his arm and held it for a few moments. "Do you want to sit?"

Lizzie nodded and sat on the edge of the bed. He hesitated briefly before sitting down as well with a safe distance between them. "Seriously Will I'm not going to bite you can sit closer than that."

He shook his head and changed the subject. "Didn't you say that you would keep Jane aware of what is happening? She is undoubtedly worried about you right now."

"Oh yeah I totally did say that thanks for reminding me lemme text her quickly…okay 'staying in a guest room at will's house tonight because he doesn't want to bring me home drunk for safety reasons also I told him I love him so we're a thing now' there that sums up tonight pretty well I think."

"Lizzie, did you honestly just send that exact message?"

"Yeah it's not that bad though I could've mentioned the fact that you won't kiss me that's probably where the too much information line is." Her phone dinged. "Oh look Jane replied 'why would you tell him that you hate Darcy more than anyone' well that's awkward I guess I'll try to explain in the morning when I can actually use words."

Darcy smirked, scooted closer, and asked, "And how exactly do you intend to explain this?"

"Something along the lines of Darcy's not actually a total dick he's kind of a nice guy on occasion and he's hot so that kind of seals the deal," she replied simply.

Gigi finally came in then with a set of clothes stuck under her arm and paraded to the bed, where she threw them at Lizzie, pointed toward the bathroom, and ordered, "Go get ready for bed, Lizzie."

"Jeez fine Mom – Will I'll see you in the morning," she said softly, her gaze obviously hopeful for him to do something romantic.

He took her hand again and kissed its back. "Good night, Lizzie. Sleep well."

Darcy skirted out of the room hastily then to leave Gigi with Lizzie. As he walked back to his own bedroom, he couldn't help himself from laughing. For once in his life, he'd finally done something right. He'd finally gotten Lizzie to understand how he felt. And now she felt the same. Granted, it had apparently taken a good bit of alcohol for her to come to grips with the fact, but maybe, if he was really the luckiest man in the world, she wouldn't wake up in the morning and take everything back.

He prepared for bed in a flash upon getting to his room and lay down straightaway to wait impatiently for sleep to come. After all, the earlier he got to sleep, the earlier he would see her again.

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**I'm working on the last chapter of this right now. It was the one that I had prepared the least when I published this, but it should be up in a few days. Thanks for reading and sticking with me through fanfiction taking down my first go at posting this.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well hey there long time no see. Sorry about that, everyone. The semester started, and I had this thing called a mechanical engineering major, so this got put on the back-burner for a long time. It's done now though, so hopefully it is wonderful and not at all disappointing. Thanks for reading!**

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Lizzie rolled over in bed and lazily opened her eyes as the sun shone over her. At first, the bed and room were unfamiliar, but as she looked around, memories of the previous night started to flood back. Jane and Bing…her getting drunk…all the conversations with Darcy… She tried to keep backa small panic attack as she remembered the I-love-yous. Alcohol always had made her more truthful and talkative, but she hadn't necessarily wanted that to happen. At all.

Granted, she had been trying to understand Darcy's brain in the past few months, and now that she knew he still had feelings for her, maybe it all could work out for the best. Just maybe.

…but probably not.

When she tossed the covers aside and stood up, the headache hit her with full force. It wasn't the worst hangover she'd ever had, but having hangovers was never a pleasant experience. She went to the bathroom and searched desperately for aspirin in the medicine cabinet. Nothing, naturally. Lizzie sighed and looked at herself in the mirror. Truth be told, she didn't look totally awful for totally hungover and wearing William Darcy's extra pajamas. (Apparently, Gigi was a size or two smaller than her, so the only solution had been to grab Darcy's things. At least, according to Gigi, that was the only solution. A solution which was totally unmotivated by the thought of Darcy seeing her in his clothes, she was sure.)

She felt herself smile at the idea of Darcy seeing her like this. How badly would it frustrate him if she walked in like she owned the place in his old, beat-up clothing? What _would_ it take to make him break his incessantly chivalrous exterior?

But as she ran her hand through her messy hair and actually smelled herself, she cringed.

Maybe seducing Darcy could wait until she showered.

* * *

After her time in the world's nicest shower, Lizzie still had a splitting headache. Nonetheless, she brushed her wet hair, tied it up, and changed back into Darcy's clothes, tying the drawstring on the big Harvard sweatpants as tight as she could and straightening out the old worn-out t-shirt from some obscure hipster band. With a sigh, she stared at herself in the mirror. Her confidence had suddenly left at the idea of actually being in front of him again soon. What if he was just being nice the night before? What if he hated her after that whole drunken encounter?

After a few moments of panic, she took a deep breath. If Darcy wanted this…whatever _this_ was…to go anywhere, he'd have to get used to seeing her like this in the mornings anyway. After all, hungover after a party was undoubtedly the worst she could possibly get.

It was time to go face the inexorable embarrassment.

When she stuck her head out of her room to check for lurking Darcy, she was immediately met by the far-off sound of some sort of music and the faint smell of coffee. The smell made her stomach turn, but she did her best to ignore it as she warily stepped outside and started following the sound and scent.

She didn't have to go far before she snuck a glance around a corner and saw him standing there at the kitchen counter in his pajamas as well, his hair tousled all over the place instead of its usual perfect style. A bunch of ingredients were laid out in front of him, and music she'd never heard before played out of a speaker in one of the cabinets. Lizzie couldn't help but smile at the sight as he wandered around the kitchen, moving more things to the counter, turning on the stove, and…could it possibly be? Was William Darcy singing along to something?

Lizzie didn't want to move or make her presence known in any way as she leaned against the doorframe and watched Darcy. He started to mix everything he'd gotten out in a large bowl while he sang to himself, and she really couldn't help but smile at how lovely his singing voice was. That and how happy he seemed in general. His eyes had a new light to them that Lizzie had never seen before; his whole attitude had changed entirely from his usual brooding behavior. She even thought she almost spotted an actual, real smile on his face when he was humming along at some point.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been standing there before it all became too much, but suddenly it was. Lizzie could not bear just waiting and watching anymore; before she even realized what she was doing, she strode across the dining room and straight into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Lizzie, I hope…oh!"

She pulled his head down and kissed him without warning, completely overwhelming and surprising Darcy. She kissed him softly and slowly against even though she wanted the exact opposite, waiting for his brain to catch up with the fact that, yes, she was actually kissing him right now and, yes, he needed to reciprocate immediately. It didn't seem to ever actually get there, so she pulled back an inch or two and giggled.

"Looks like the kissing program is a little buggy after all."

He finally put his hands on her waist, pulled her against him, and gave her an offended look. "You didn't even give it a chance to load properly, Lizzie."

And they were kissing again, and Lizzie became incredibly glad that he was holding on to her so tight. How exactly a man as socially inept as William Darcy had become such an amazing kisser was completely beyond her, but as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her like he was born for this one purpose, she felt utterly, blissfully happy.

When they finally parted for a moment, she opened her eyes and was greeted with the most brilliant, genuine smile. The kind of smile that could distort a face beyond repair.

Lizzie brushed her hand against his face and was met with the feeling of his rough stubble against her hand. "I've never seen you smile like that before, Darcy."

"That's because I've never kissed you until now, Lizzie," he replied simply as he rested his hand on her cheek likewise. "And whatever happened to calling me Will?"

"I always call you Darcy. Everyone calls you Darcy but Gigi. I was drunk. Annoying you seemed like fun, so I called you Will to see if it'd piss you off."

"I much prefer it to Darcy when it comes from you," he muttered. "I only let the people closest to me use that name. And the only people who know me intimately enough are Gigi and you."

"I don't know you _that_ intimately, Will." The name felt incredibly wrong as she spoke it, but Darcy rewarded it with a soft kiss on her forehead. "I mean, in reality, we've only been around each other a few times, and I hated you with every single fiber of my being for most of those."

"Yet here you are in my kitchen after staying the night in my home after telling me you love me. And to top it all off, you're wearing my old clothes," he retaliated.

"Yeah, well, that part was Gigi's idea, and I was too tired to say no to comfy clothes last night. So don't get all…weird about it." She stepped back from him, but he pulled her back in just to hold her close again. They stood together for a while with only the soft sounds of the music playing and the coffeemaker dripping to disturb the moment. Lizzie closed her eyes, rested her cheek against his chest, and muttered, "Weren't you doing something before I got here, Will?"

He looked at her, puzzled and completely unaware of the fact that anything existed aside from Lizzie. That is, he looked that way until she pointed at all the ingredients laid out on the counter. "Right. Breakfast. I…uh…forgot."

"Clearly. Do you want me to get out of the way?"

"Yes. No wait, no. No, yes. I mean…you're never in the way…" He saw the mischievous glint in her eye at his flustered answer and steered her to one of the stools that sat on the opposite side of the counter.

"Just sit there, if you would." She did as he asked while he returned to stirring together whatever was in the bowl.

"I didn't have you pegged as someone who can cook," she commented casually.

"There is an egregious number of things that you seem to put past me, Lizzie," he retorted. "First, my ability to kiss and now my ability to cook, what will you come up with next?"

"Well, to be fair, my first impression of you was dismal, so literally every good thing you've done has taken me completely by surprise."

"Even the fact that I can cook."

"Especially the fact that you can cook. There are not an excess of attractive single men who can cook." She looked into the bowl curiously. "What are you making, anyway?"

"Pancakes."

She gave him a confused look. "That seems so…simple for a pretentious person like you."

Darcy laughed quietly and shook his head. "My parents wanted me and Gigi to know how to do certain things, like cooking and cleaning and whatnot, so we wouldn't be the stereotypical spoiled rich children who grew into adults who couldn't do anything on their own. The first thing my father did once I was old enough was teach me how to cook, starting with this. So, in a way, I suppose, it means something to me. As ridiculous as the idea of being emotionally attached to a breakfast food sounds."

Lizzie smiled at him. "It doesn't sound ridiculous at all, Will. I think I would've liked your parents a lot. I wish I could've met them."

"I do, too, believe me." His smile had faded when they talked, and as he began to scoop the batter into the pan, a new song started on the small speakers that sat beside her.

"Wait, I know this band. I thought music like this would be too _mainstream_ for you, Darcy."

"It's Gigi's favorite band, so she demanded I listen to them. I enjoy it on occasion." He turned to give her an amused look while he flipped the pancakes. "You know, you really need to move past your bizarre 'pretentious hipster' idea. I believe I proved it wrong on enough occasions now that you can reject it outright now."

"That's a bit ridiculous, coming from the man that once said something to Caroline about 'people enjoying popular music unironically' as he wore a scarf in the middle of summer."

"You really do forget nothing, don't you?" he moaned. "As I am with a great deal of things in my life, I am very selective when it comes to music. I don't feel that it's necessary to waste my time with things that I am not entirely passionate about."

"So that's why you're spending time on me, Will?"

"Of course, that's the only reason I would bother. You have bewitched me completely." A pause. "Part of that could be misconstrued as insulting, couldn't it?"

"It started off rough for a second there, but to be fair, you fixed it pretty well with the bewitched comment. You're slowly getting better at the not-insulting-me thing."

"I do try my best."

Lizzie watched for a few minutes as he cooked in silence. A few times, he started humming along to the music as he zoned out, but as soon as he'd notice her again, he'd stop and blush. And then his blushing would make her stare at his face and think about kissing him again and how badly she wanted to. Her mind would go off on all sorts of inappropriate tangents until Darcy predictably caught her staring. Finally, Lizzie had to distract herself, so she pulled out her phone to send Jane a text.

**Hey, I'm still at Will's house. I've got a tiny bit of a hangover, but I'm fine. Will is going to drive me back to the house after breakfast.**

Jane texted back instantaneously.

_When did you start calling Darcy Will? And what in the world happened last night with you two?_

**It's too complicated to explain now. Can I just wait until I see you next?**

_Fine. As long as you're safe, you can explain whenever you need to. But you have to eventually._

_Oh, and it sounds like you'll have an interesting video on Monday. Maybe you should get _Will_ to show up._

**Haha, because he's always loved being in my videos so much before, right? How is everything with Bing?**

_It's complicated, too. How about I tell you when you tell me about Darcy?_

**Sure. It's a deal. Will you be at the house when I get back? Or are you with Bing?**

_I'm with Bing right now, but I can get him to bring me back to your place. I'll see you when you get back, all right?_

**All right. See you soon.**

"Is everything all right?" Darcy asked.

Lizzie looked up sharply. "What? Oh, yeah, everything's fine, I was just letting Jane know I'm okay."

"Did she say anything about how she and Bing are doing?"

She shrugged. "Not much. It sounds like everything is fine, though. How did you get Bing to come here from LA, anyway?"

"I told him that I was wrong about Jane, she would be here for the weekend if he wanted her back, and I would be more than willing to help in any way I could. He dropped everything and got here as quickly as he could." Darcy chuckled. "I used to believe that Bing's eagerness to do anything for Jane was absolutely deranged. I thought it was truly the most moronic thing he'd ever done when he let you and Jane live at Netherfield for a whole month. Not that I didn't appreciate the excuse to spend more time around you, at the time. I find I understand all of it, now. I was so thoughtless to take that away from Bing. If someone pulled me from you and told me I could never see you again, I…don't know what I would do. I don't want to imagine it. I believe…I would do anything for you, Lizzie."

"Will, I don't…I can't…I don't know what to say."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't put you in uncomfortable situations like that. Forgive me. You don't need to say anything."

"It's not that, it's just…I want to…I don't…Just finish cooking and quit putting how much I love food up against how much I love you," she snapped.

Darcy smiled as he got out plates and a mug for Lizzie before pausing. "Lizzie, you prefer tea to coffee, right?"

"Y…yeah, how'd you know that? I've never told you that."

He poured hot water into a mug from the kettle that'd apparently been warming this whole time and set it in front of her with a bag. "The videos, Lizzie. Any time you had a drink on camera, it was always tea."

"Oh, god, the videos. I always try to block out the fact that you watched all of those embarrassing things."

"They aren't as appalling as you seem to believe, Lizzie."

"I rejected you on camera in one of them."

"That would indeed be an exception to my blanket statement, thank you," he chuckled. "But they were a sizeable part of what made me ultimately fall in love with you, Lizzie. And I would have never understood my errors if it weren't for the videos." Darcy set two plates of pancakes on the counter in front of her and left another sitting by the stove. He took his cup of coffee and sat on the stool beside Lizzie's. "Now, you were struggling for words a few moments ago. Is there something you were trying to say?"

"I'm just…not great at being romantic. You seem to suddenly be an expert in that field, and…I'm a worrier."

"I know. And you know I don't care about that. I think you're overthinking things."

She scoffed back, "And God knows, if William Darcy thinks you're overthinking something, you must really be going insane."

"Exactly." He scooted the stool awkwardly until he was right in front of Lizzie then leaned in close. "Stop thinking so much, Lizzie."

He kissed her deeper and confidently this time before slowly tracing the shape of her lips with his tongue. Lizzie opened her mouth to let their tongues meet, and, much to her surprise, Darcy let out a soft moan as she kissed him. She pressed on, exploring his mouth thoroughly as his hands moved to grasp the back of her head.

As Darcy kissed Lizzie, everything seemed to fade away except him and his perfect, parted lips as they met hers over and over again.

When a fit of giggling cut through the moment, she and Darcy jerked apart to see Gigi peeking around the corner. She yelped and ran away as soon as they saw her.

"Gigi!" Darcy groaned. "I feel I should explain…could you wait a moment?"

Lizzie nodded and took out her phone as he left. She had a text from Charlotte:

_Lizzie, please tell me you aren't at Darcy's house right now._

**I wish I could tell you that, but I am at Darcy's place. What's up?**

_Is Gigi Darcy's tweet real, then?_

Lizzie opened up Twitter; her heart stopped as she read the first tweet:

" fitzonthefitz The tiger and the eagle are a go! …"

And the picture was of her and Darcy.

Sitting in the kitchen.

Kissing.

Instead of panicking, she found herself retweeting the picture with an added "it's true everyone!". If the Internet had to know, they might as well know on her own terms. She brought up the picture again, smiled at it begrudgingly, and hesitated for a moment before saving it and making it her phone background. She couldn't deny that it was a good picture of them.

Her stomach grumbled loudly then, effectively turning her attention away from her phone to the plate of pancakes in front of her. Lizzie gingerly took a bite and immediately wondered if "he made chocolate chip pancakes when I was hungover" was a good enough reason to elope with Darcy as soon as humanly possible.

Lizzie ate with one hand and checked her Twitter feed again with the other as the replies from friends and fans poured in. There was Lydia's obligatory "OMG IT'S ABOUT TIME" response, and Jane and Charlotte were both expressing their congratulations. Of course, then there were the thousands of shippers sending her tweets about their OTP and their ship setting sail, all of which just made Lizzie chuckle when she read them.

By the time Darcy and Gigi came back a good fifteen minutes later, Lizzie's plate was empty; she looked guiltily at them. "I…got hungry."

"I can see that. Did you enjoy them?"

"Yeah, I loved the…chocolate…" Her train of thought vanished as she spotted Gigi, who was texting and glaring at her phone furiously. "Wait, what's going on?"

Darcy sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Gigi was excited to share the news that she posted a picture of us together…"

"Yeah, I saw."

"…and apparently my aunt has been keeping a close eye on me and Gigi since she found out about my feelings for you…"

"Oh, no."

"…and now she's on her way here to remind me of her feelings about you, so I should probably take you home now."

"You don't have to deal with her alone if you don't want to, Will." Lizzie was perfectly aware of how much de Bourgh hated her. None of the dinners with her back at Collins and Collins had ever gone well, and then there was the fact that she'd actually had the audacity to come and tell Lizzie not to fall in love with Darcy only a few days before the party and the end of her shadowing. De Bourgh hated the idea of Darcy being with anyone who wasn't Caroline Lee, and she'd let Lizzie know that as much as possible. Of course, she'd forgotten all of that the second she walked into the party and saw Darcy. As if she was even going to consider de Bourgh's opinion in the matter at all, really.

He shook his head. "No, this is something I definitely need to do. I doubt seeing you here would help her mood."

"That's probably true enough, I guess."

Darcy paused awkwardly for a few moments. "I should probably get my keys."

"Right, and I should change back…"

"No, don't!" he snapped, too quickly. "I mean, you can keep them. I…I like…"

"…you like seeing me in your clothes." Lizzie grinned as Darcy blushed, completely flustered by her assertion.

"I'm just…I'll…be right back."

Lizzie watched as he left and gave him a little smile when he predictably looked back at her. Then, she got up and looked over at Gigi, who was still typing furiously on her phone with a furrowed brow and a furious expression. She was sure she didn't even want to know what de Bourgh was saying to Gigi right now about her.

She slipped away from Gigi and went straight to the guest room she'd stayed in. Lizzie was surprised that she'd even been able to find the room again in the labyrinth of the mansion, but she quickly gathered up her clothes and slipped on her shoes. The bed was a hopeless mess, so she didn't even bother trying to make it before returning to the kitchen.

Darcy was leaning against the counter, looking over Gigi's shoulder and muttering something in an angry tone until he looked up and saw Lizzie there. "Lizzie, are you ready to go?" She gave him a little nod, and he turned to Gigi. "Thank you for dealing with Catherine. I'll be back."

"You better be!" Gigi called after them as Darcy took Lizzie's hand and started out of the room. "Aunt Catherine will be here really soon."

"To be fair, you started this whole thing," he countered calmly. "I will be back as soon as I can; try to keep Catherine preoccupied until then."

Lizzie let Darcy bring her through the halls of the mansion, trying to take mental notes of how the place was laid out for future reference. She had a feeling that she would be spending a great deal of time there from now on. For most of the walk, Darcy was silent, only even acknowledging her presence by squeezing her hand or looking at her every few moments, as if he was constantly reassuring himself that she was still there, holding onto him. Finally, once they reached the garage, which, inconveniently enough, happened to be on the exact opposite side of the mansion from the kitchen, he opened the door for her and led her to and unlocked the small, environmentally-friendly car. There were only two cars in the huge garage, and Lizzie assumed that the other car, which was actually spacious and comfortable-looking must have be longed to Gigi. But of course, William Darcy had to own the pretentious, expensive car. She sat down and tossed her clothes down at her feet as he got in and cranked the car.

"Are you still staying where Gigi and I met you when we went around the city last time you were here?" Darcy asked as he backed out of the garage.

"Yeah, the owners of the house were nice enough to let me stay there again," she replied.

"Good, I believe I remember how to get there." He drove for a few minutes before he gave her a nervous glance and asked, "Lizzie, out of curiosity, may I ask when exactly you changed your mind about me?"

Lizzie paused awkwardly for a moment. "I don't actually know, Will. I just…did. I've loved you for a while now, and I guess last night was when it all came crashing down on me that I did. And I panicked, because this whole thing is exactly what I've been avoiding, you know. Falling in love with a rich guy just like Mom always wanted. I'd been avoiding it my whole freaking life, and then you waltz in and ruin everything."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…you're just joking, aren't you?"

"Of course I am, Will. It took me forever to realize that I care about you just as much as you care about me and even longer to realize that all the other junk doesn't even matter. But I love you, and that's what really matters." Darcy smiled widely again, and Lizzie laughed at how easy it seemed to be to please him. "What about you, Darcy? When did you start liking me?"

"Well, to be fair, I _liked_ you just fine from the beginning. I just wasn't in love with you at first."

"You sure didn't act like it."

"No, I didn't. To be fair, I was an awful person at the time, and I didn't even deserve any attention from you. I thought you were average and not worth my time and effort when I met you at the wedding. As you unfortunately heard me say, I thought you were decent enough, and that was all. I was so terribly wrong about you that it's painful to think back on it. Just like how you hate watching your videos again now."

"Yeah, the videos are pretty bad. I mean, you can't enjoy watching them either, right?

He smirked. "Well, some of them aren't as bad as the others. After I had a while to adjust to the way you mocked me, I became really fond of your imitation of me. I paid close attention to those videos and watched them often to make sure I was changing those flaws you pointed out. I've been trying very hard to improve my character thanks to you and those imitations, so now I feel very connected to them. Now, I can find them as funny as anyone else might."

"I just think you have a thing for the bowtie and newsie hat," Lizzie scoffed.

Darcy's cheeks reddened. "I…well…I wasn't…going to say that but…"

"Oh my God, Will, are you serious?"

"I can't help it, Lizzie. I believe all the fault for that _thing_, as you put it, lies entirely on your shoulders for wearing it in the first place."

"I didn't think you'd find my videos!"

"Well, I did, as we both know all too well. Now, back to what I was saying. I don't really know when I actually fell in love with you. I was in the middle of it before I knew it had begun at all."

Lizzie fumbled for words for a few moments before giving up and resting her hand atop his on the gear shift. He smiled at her and let the silence surround them for the rest of the drive.

"This is the place, right?" Darcy asked, gesturing at one of the houses ahead of them.

"Yeah, that's the one. You can probably park by the side of the road for a bit if you want."

He nodded and brought the car to a stop. They shared yet another moment of awkward silence before Lizzie let out a frustrated sigh and threw herself into his arms. Darcy just chucked softly and let her kiss him again.

Lizzie lost track of time as she sat there with him, until she jolted in his arms. "Will, you need to go, don't you? Ms. de Bourgh's waiting."

He planted a kiss on her forehead with a melancholy sigh. "I am aware. I've been trying not to think about it, to tell the truth. She'll survive waiting for me this one time."

"Well, that's fine by me, but we are kinda sitting in a car in the middle of San Francisco right now and have been for…twenty minutes."

Darcy paused to look away from Lizzie for the first time since they parked. "Right. I suppose this isn't actually the most opportune time or place for this, then."

"Not really. Besides, I need to get to work; I have to work on my independent study report on Pemberley Digital."

Darcy gave a quick nod. "Of course, you need to go."

"Well, I guess I'll see you," Lizzie muttered uncomfortably.

"Wait, Lizzie, can I see you again later today?" Darcy blurted out in a rush.

"I have a lot of work to do, Will. I could be working all day."

"I have work to do as well. But I'd much rather do it with you rather than alone at home with Gigi nagging me about why I'm not spending more time with you now."

Lizzie stared him down, but she was learning that it was damn near impossible to say no to Darcy when he fixed her with the pitiful look he was giving her right now. "Fine, Will, just text me whenever you want."

He smiled a big, goofy grin again; Lizzie felt her heart melt at the sight.

"See you later, then, Lizzie," he said as he kissed her forehead one more time. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Will. See you in a bit."

She gathered up her stuff at her feet, gave Darcy one more kiss, then ran as quickly as she could into the house, only pausing to give a little wave to Darcy as she shut the door behind her. She leaned against the wood and took a deep breath before running to her room, throwing her old clothes down, and sitting down in front of the camera. She put the newise hat and the bowtie on and hit the record button.

"Hey, everyone. I know this is gonna seem really weird, but just bear with me for a moment." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Like I said in the last video, there was a party at Darcy's place last night, and…well, some interesting things happened." She paused for a moment to remember Darcy's smile before finally saying, "My name's Lizzie Bennet, and I'm madly in love with William Darcy."


End file.
